Saving Rahne
by DahliaxBell
Summary: Rahne's being hunted; her family slaughtered; but why? By who? She runs to the X-Men for help; can they save her before it's too late? AU! UnderworldX-Men Evo Crossover
1. I

            Screams. Screams could be heard throughout the hallways of the house. Rahne shot up from her sleep, and gasped at the sounds. Her mutation kicked in, morphing her fully into a wolf; her ears picking up the slight noises of tearing, as the screams died away. Sniffing, she could pick up the unfamiliar scent of intruders, mixed with the scent of blood. She hesitantly crept towards the door, and looked down, trying to see if any shadows had picked up movement. Suddenly, silhouettes stopped in front of her doorway. She backed up, morphing back into her human form, and opened her window. She turned, as her door was broken down, and she leapt outside, after she saw two men, clad in trench coats, with blood pouring down their mouths, hissing at her. She landed on the ground, and ran through the pouring rain, panting heavy breaths, desperately trying to escape. 

            The fate of her adoptive parents soared through her mind; the screams she heard; those of her parents; chilled her bones as she morphed again, into a wolf, running down the dirt highway, to the nearest phone; she was only able to turn to one person; Professor Xavier, for help.

*~*~*~*

            "Look out!" Rogue screamed, pointing towards her best friend.

            Elizabeth swung around, swinging her psychic katana sword, through the drone that came for her, ready to take her out. Rogue rolled out of the way of another drone, and hoisted herself, finally leaping towards the robot, kicking through it. She watched it fall to the ground, like a useless piece of metal. Elizabeth rushed to her, and they turned, looking around them, standing back to back. "Looks like we're a little overrun, don't ya think?" Rogue commented.

            "Not for long!" Elizabeth smiled, as drones circled around them.

            Elizabeth's katana dissolved, and she pointed her hands outward, using her telekinesis to blast through the two drones in front of her. More seemed to swarm them. Rogue pressed into the com link in her ear, "A little help please?!" She growled through the mouthpiece.

            "Woohoo!" They heard the familiar shriek of Boom Boom, followed by the small kinetic balls, taking out the drones in front of them.

            Elizabeth formed a shield around her and Rogue, to avoid any debris from hitting them. "'Bout time!" Rogue snapped.

            "Sorry, got held up!" Tabitha smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

            Tabitha turned, to look behind her for any more drones. Suddenly, the three girls flew forward, from a blast of kinetic energy. They rolled on the ground, breaking their fall. Rogue stood to her feet, but cried out, as Logan speared her to the ground. Sliding forward, he lied on to her grinning coyly; "Game over!" He smiled.

            Elizabeth swung around, her blade forming in her hand once more. Remy took out his metal staff, the rod extending to its full length, "On guard, cherie!" He grinned, bowing to her.

            Elizabeth tsked at his comment and cockiness, and she leapt towards him. She swung her sword down, slicing through the staff, as he attempted to swing it towards her. She then threw a kick to his face, causing him to fly back. He turned to his back, looking up at her, and threw a charged card he had pulled out of his coat pocket, at her feet. Elizabeth flew back, smashing into the danger room wall. He grinned, as he stood up to his feet, rushing towards her.

            Tabitha threw a handful of kinetically charged balls towards Bobby, melting his ice slide as he attempted to attack her. He fell to the ground with a thud. She shrugged with a grin, as he glared up at her, snarling for her counter attack. He pointed his hand towards her, shooting a bolt of ice, "Whoa!" Tabitha squealed, as she rolled out of the way.

            Elizabeth shook her head, and looked up, as Remy grabbed onto her, kneeling at her side. "Le tournement es fini, cherie! I win!" He grinned, holding onto her tightly.

            Elizabeth snarled, as she attempted to push him away. "How 'bout I claim my prize, eh?" He smiled.

            Remy placed his lips to Elizabeth's, forcing himself against her, as she tried with all she had to resist him. The mark over her left eye glowed, as she decided to use the telekinesis against him instead. Remy flew back, as the force threw him off of her, and he smashed into the wall. Elizabeth shot up to her feet, her face red with anger, "How _dare_ you?" She hissed.

            She ran towards him, flipping up into the air, and landed in front of him, crouched down. Remy gasped, as he saw the smaller psionic blade form around her left fist. "You broke the rules, luv!" She growled.

            Rogue threw her arm back at Logan, throwing him off of her. She swung around to her back, and flipped to her feet. She crouched herself, getting ready to pounce. His claws retracted back into his hands, as he waved them towards himself, gesturing for her to come towards him, "Bring it on, darlin'." He grinned.

            Suddenly, the exercise around them abruptly faded, "Hey, what _gives_?" Tabitha hissed, as she lied onto Bobby, ready to punch him.

            "I'm sorry, you guys. But we need to have an emergency meeting in the planning room." Hank smiled from the control area.

            Rogue and Logan looked at each other, "Pity!" Rogue smiled.

            "We'll just have to finish this later." Logan told her.

*~*~*~*

            The senior members of the X-Men sat in the planning room, in the chairs that surrounded the round table. Charles made his way into the room, with a gloomy look on his face, "Everything okay, Professor?" Jean asked curiously.

            Hank shook his head, and turned, switching on the television, "News reports have come in, stating a family slaughtered in Scotland." Hank began.

            "Slaughtered? Who?" Scott asked him.

            The members sitting around the table listening attentively consisted of Logan, Rogue, Elizabeth, Jean, Scott, Kitty, Kurt, and Remy. Ororo stood near Hank, watching the news report. A name mentioned from the reporter caught everyone's ears, "Sinclair? As in Rahne's family?" Ororo gasped.

            "Exactly. However, it was only her parents and her sister that were murdered. She called a mere fifteen minutes ago. I would like for Logan, Scott, Jean, and Elizabeth to fly to Scotland to retrieve her and bring her here. She barely escaped from the murderers. She informed me," Charles gulped, looking at the worried looks on his team members' faces, "She informed me that they had _blood_ pouring from their mouths."

            "Oh _ew_!" Kitty cringed in her seat.

            "Cannibals?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

            Charles shrugged, "I don't know."

            "Kitty, I would like for you to accompany me into the research area. I do have suspicions that specific cults could be a part of this. However, this is the first finding of _humans_ being slaughtered in a home like this," Hank paused, "With one living to tell about it." 

            Rogue's eyes searched in thought; "Wait." She stopped everyone as they stood to leave.

            Everyone in the room turned their attention on her, "You say Rahne's a _werewolf_, right? What if there's others like her out there, but they're hunting humans for food?" Rogue asked.

            "You mean like a specific _werewolf_ species?" Elizabeth asked her.

            Rogue stood, walking towards them, "Yeah, I mean, what if it existed? I mean, human cannibals don't have the _strength_ to slaughter people the way the news said that they were killed! Tears in their jugular arteries?" 

            Hank and Kitty looked at each other, "We'll research on that, Rogue." Hank told her.

            "In the meantime, we'll get Rahne and bring her here, Chuck." Logan told them.

            Scott, Jean and Elizabeth followed him out of the planning room.

*~*~*~*

            Rahne gasped, as she looked up from her huddled arms, as she heard a noise from the side of her. She was huddled against the phone booth she had used to call Xavier, outside of a pub, in the pouring rain. She stood to her feet, praying they would soon come for her. She thought of it as a better idea to hide in a crowd, where she wouldn't be harmed; after all, safety was better in numbers. She quickly turned, as she heard a light whisper behind her. She then hurriedly rushed into the loud and crowded pub.

*~*~*~*

            Logan sighed, shaking his head, as he and Elizabeth piloted the Velocity in the pilot seats, while Jean and Scott sat in the two seats behind them. "What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked her friend.

            "I knew that girl would be safer at the institute." Logan mumbled.

            "Logan, there was no way round it. Her parents made their choice." Scott told him.

            "Yeah? Look. Her parents are _dead_ now. The poor girl's probably traumatized from the whole thing." Logan growled.

            "Who would _do_ such a thing? And then come after her?" Jean asked, leaning forward.

            Elizabeth shrugged, "Maybe Rogue's right. I mean, a human can't just _tear_ out someone's main artery that's on the side of your neck." 

            "I just hope Rahne's safe." Jean sighed, as she sat back in her seat.

            "We have to coordinates, Logan?" Scott asked.

            "Yeah. Prof sent them through just about five minutes ago, shades." Logan told him.

            "Where in Scotland are we going?" Elizabeth asked.

            Logan sat back, "Gullane."


	2. II

            The pub was noisy, with men and women laughing loud, swinging beer mugs and liquor in their hands. Rahne's eyes searched around her, carefully, and paranoid that someone had followed her. She huddled to herself in a corner, to wait for the familiar blades of the Velocity to be heard. But something in her instincts and her gut, told her to look up at the door, as it swung open. A tall, lanky man walked into the pub, looking around at the faces in the crowd. His face was incredibly pale, his eyes a pale blue. His shoulder length brown hair was drenched, and clinging to his face from the rain outside.

            The young girl hovered behind the table, as his eyes looked to be heading her direction. She sat under the table, and backed against the bench behind her, watching the feet in front of her move around. Her body began to tremble; she wanted to use her mutation to scare them away, but she was never able to bring herself to physically hurt someone. And, after what she had witnessed at her home, she knew that her mutation would do nothing to the fear of the butchers that murdered her family. 

            She began to feel a sob of fear rise in her throat, as she saw the pair of feet, draped around with the black leather trench coat, walking towards her table. She shook horribly, as they came closer. Her blue eyes widened with fear, as the black booted feet stood in front of her. She bit onto her lower lip harshly, and almost bit into it, as the fear in her rose through the roof. Suddenly, the table was ripped out of the floor, and thrown away from her, fully exposing her.

            Rahne looked up, as a gasp caught in her throat, as she stared up at the man who caught her attention, as he glared down at her. His mouth opened slightly, showing the fangs that were slightly stained with the blood of her family. He reached into his coat, and she immediately reacted, jumping out of her hiding space, and leaping over him.

            She landed onto the floor, and ran out of the pub, not looking back. She screamed, as she heard gun shots firing towards her. She kept covering herself, and finally morphed into a wolf, running and leaping out of the way with the agility her mutation had gifted her with. She finally hid on the side of the pub, morphing back into her human form, panting heavily with more fear than exhaustion. She kept her eyes on the corner she had turned from, for any sight of her attackers. 

            Her breathing caught into her throat, as she backed up, hearing the heavy boot steps coming towards her from around the corner. She turned, attempting to run, but ran into something; _hard_. Almost reacting to squeal, or scream, a hand covered her mouth, hushing her. Her eyes moved up, coming face to face with a largely built bald man, his finger over his mouth, signaling for her to hush. "I'm here to help." He whispered.

            He pulled her aside, nearly throwing her into the dumpster against the wall. She watched in horror, as the man suddenly morphed, changing into a beast, much like what she was; a _werewolf_. She threw her hands over her mouth, to prevent making a sound, as the beast leapt to the wall, crawling onto the side, towards the corner. She could see the silhouettes from the light. Of the beast fighting off three of her "stalkers", that had come after her. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot, and the beast fell to the ground, leaving one of the stalkers dead in the fight. She turned, and ran down the alleyway, in hopes that her saviors; the X-Men would come to rescue her.

*~*~*~*

            The Velocity landed in an open field, the blades coming to an ease. The hatch opened, and Logan led the way, followed by Elizabeth, Scott and Jean. Elizabeth pulled out a tracking device, "According to the coordinates received by the Professor, Rahne should be at that pub." Elizabeth pointed in front of them.

            "Let's go." Logan demanded.

*~*~*~*

            Rahne stopped, coming to a dead end wall. She let out a sob, kicking her foot on the ground. She looked around, for any sort of small area she could crawl through; _nothing_. She looked up, as another of the beasts, crawled down the wall, towards the two men in trench coats, heading for her. The beast was shot down, causing it to fall onto the ground in front of her. She watched, as the beast morphed back into a man. Rahne looked up, her eyes widened with fear, as the two men pointed their guns at her. "No! We need her alive!" She heard from behind them.

            She squinted, seeing two other figures walking towards her. "Please, I dinna do anythin'!" Rahne cried out.

            As the two neared her, they came to a sudden halt, and were lifted up into the air. Suddenly, they flew forward, from an optic red blast. Rahne smiled, as she recognized the familiarity of the attack. She squinted more, seeing the familiar figure of Elizabeth jumping into the air, split kicking the other two. "Picking on _children_, men?" She heard Elizabeth growl.

            Rahne made a break for it. She rushed towards the four X-Men that came to her rescue. She nearly pounced into Elizabeth's arms, as she threw her arms around her, hugging onto her desperately. "Please! Help me!" Rahne sobbed.

            Logan stood in front of them, his claws out and ready, as he stared at the four men who quickly recovered from the attacks on them. Elizabeth pushed Rahne behind her, holding her arm out, shielding her for protection. The four men that the mutants had saved the young girl from, pulled their guns onto them, and fired. Quickly, Elizabeth and Jean shielded them all, causing the bullets to bounce off. As soon as the guns ran dry, Logan jumped forward, landing on one of them. They wrestled onto the ground, with Logan trying to get his wrists free from the man's hold, so his claws could come to good use. "You two take Rahne back to the Velocity. Me and Logan can handle these guys!" Elizabeth told Scott and Jean.

            "No! We're not leaving you here!" Jean demanded.

            Elizabeth ignored the red headed mutant, and threw her hands forward, using her telekinesis to throw the other three away from Logan, and into the dead end wall. Logan grunted, as he worked his wrist out of his victim's hold, but was shocked to see the man bite through his arm. Logan cried out, as the man's teeth pierced his flesh. His other wrist was released, and he shoved his claws deep into the man's shoulder. 

            Crying out, the man released his hold on Logan, and Logan stood to his feet. He watched the wound heal, and looked up, and noticed the men had vanished. Growling, he turned, as he heard Elizabeth running up behind him. "Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked him.

            Logan turned, seeing Jean holding onto Rahne, with Scott near the end of the alley. "Let's get the hell outta here." Logan told them.


	3. III

Quick Note; I'm sorry, I forgot to post this up so no one gets a tad confused! (slaps her hand; Bad me!) Anyways; In mah fic, Rahne's gonna end up bein a little younger than the time would have her; such as the age of ten or eleven; I just see her as the cute little girl. Now; if you didn't see Underworld, I suggest you do; the plot was amazing; however the action could have been a little better; but, aside from that; there's a war going on between Vampires and Lycan's, Lycan's being werewolves. In this fic; the Vampire elder is Marcus; if you saw the movie, you'll know why. And Kraven is still alive; if you saw the fic, you'd know what I'm talkin' about. Otherwise, let's move on, shall we? WOOHOO! Oh yeah, the "senior" members of the X-Men are grown up; over 18, stuff like that. Well, I'll shut up now.

            _England_

            The heavy doors slid open, echoing throughout the large room, as Kraven stepped into the room, his boots causing the loud thud noise as he walked towards Marcus, whom sat in his throne from just being awakened from his century slumber.

            Marcus glared at his top servant, as he strode towards him, finally coming to a halt at the foot of the throne, kneeling with his head bowed. Marcus had reached the immortal age of three hundred; his pale skin nearly shone in the darkness of the room. The wrinkles on his skin were slowly tightening, as his body continued to gain composure from his century long sleep. Tubes were inserted in his back, providing the remaining blood of the other elders of the Vampire clans that had awoken him. His pale gray eyes moved downward, to look at Kraven, who had knelt with silence.

            "I'm sorry, my lord. We were unable to catch the Lycan child." Kraven lowly told the elder vampire.

            A growl rose in Marcus' chest at the sound of the failure. "What of the girl's family?" Marcus asked finally. 

            Kraven kept his head bowed, unable to bring himself to face the ancient man who sat in front of him. "We eliminated them all. She got away."

            Marcus stood, yet stayed at his throne, due to the tubes still remaining into his back. He looked down at Kraven, "That child is the last of the pure blood of Lycans!" He slightly leaned down to his servant, "If you do not _bring_ her to me alive, _you_ will pay for the failure!" Kraven's head lifted up at the warning, his brown eyes gleaming with slight fear, as Marcus continued, "She must be brought here for the proper execution! We _cannot_ let her survive! If she does, our species will _not_ survive!" Marcus warned.

            Kraven shuddered, as he attempted to bring himself to explain the reason of their failure, "My lord, the Lycans are aware we are after her. They're bound to be after her as well," He gulped, as he glared up at Marcus, "And she had been saved by mortals."

            Marcus' lip twitched at the word, "_Mortals_? You allowed yourself to be defeated by _mortals_?!" 

            Kraven stood, immediately trying to defend himself, "But, they had these _strange_ powers, my Lord. There was no way around it!" 

            Marcus leaned towards him, his eyes flaring with rage and annoyance, "_Make_ a way around it!" He then stood away from the vampire, "_Find her_!"

*~*~*~*

            Logan led the X-Men and the young Rahne off of the Velocity, towards the mansion. Elizabeth walked side by side with Rahne, and the young girl grabbed onto her arm tightly. Elizabeth frowned slightly at the young girl's fear, but understood why it still swam through her mind. Elizabeth stopped, just as they reached the double doors leading into the mansion, and slightly squatted, "Come." She warmly smiled, offering the young girl a piggyback ride.

            Rahne reassured herself that she was now safe; safe in the care of the Institute, and away from the stalkers in Scotland. She smiled slightly, as she climbed onto Elizabeth's back, and Elizabeth secured her hold, and followed the others into the lower levels of the mansion. "I dinna know how to thank you all." Rahne lowly said.

            Elizabeth shook her head, "Don't worry, luv. They won't come after you again." She reassured the young girl.

            Rahne held on tightly, as she rested her head into the thick purple hair in front of her face. She had looked up to Elizabeth, as well as Rogue and Jean as her big sisters while she stayed at the Institute. Elizabeth especially. Jean had formed a closer bond with Amara, while Rogue just basically tried to keep her forming bonds with the others at a neutral state. Rahne had come to realize, how much she had missed the institute; where people like her had resided.

            Elizabeth had grown fond of the young girl since she first said a word to her; she adored the innocence that Rahne had; as well as the childlike playfulness of her personality. She had a soft spot in her heart for Rahne; she kept in contact with her while she was in Scotland.

            They finally made their way into the planning room, where Charles had been waiting for them. Elizabeth turned her back to a chair, and let Rahne plop herself into the comfortable seat. Logan crossed his arms, as he stood near the large roundtable, as Charles made his way to the young girl. He gently placed his hand onto her arm, giving her a comforting squeeze, "How are you, Rahne?" He gently asked.

            At the question, her mind immediately snapped her back into reality, as the obvious fate of her family came to her mind, "My family…" Her voice trailed off, as a sob rose in her throat.

            "I'm so sorry, my dear." Charles frowned.

            Elizabeth immediately handed her a tissue, as she knelt at the side of the seat. "Rahne, can you give us a clearer picture of what happened? Do you know who those men were?" Jean asked, concerned.

             Hesitantly, Rahne shook her head at _both_ questions. "Jean, I don't think it's a good idea that she discuss her night." Elizabeth commented.

            Charles nodded in agreement, "She has had a traumatizing night," He focused on the young girl, "What you do need, is sleep. We can discuss this when you're ready."

            Rahne nodded. "Alright."

            "Elizabeth, why don't you take Rahne to a room where she can get a good night's sleep." Charles offered.

            Elizabeth stood, holding out her hand, "Come luv."

            Rahne grabbed onto Elizabeth's hand, and followed her out of the room. "I got _bit_ by one of 'em. His teeth _pierced_ through my arm!" Logan told Charles.

            Charles looked up at him, glancing at him in shock. "And then, they just _disappeared_." Scott added.

            Charles sighed heavily, "Well, everyone has gone to sleep; we'll discuss this further tomorrow morning." Charles told them.

*~*~*~*

            Rahne looked into the vacant room. Shivering, she ran her hands up and down her arms, paranoia and fear instilled in her body. "Are you alright, luv?" Elizabeth asked from behind her.

            "Betts, I'm scared ta be alone. I dinna want ta be by myself." Rahne's voice shook as she spoke.

            Elizabeth nodded with understanding, "I'm sure Remy won't mind sleeping in another room tonight," She smiled, "You may bunk with me if you'd like."

            Rahne turned to face her, "If it's no trouble?"

            Elizabeth shook her head, giving her a warm smile, "None."

*~*~*~*

            Remy turned from the balcony, as he heard the door in the room open. He frowned as he saw Elizabeth walk into the room, followed by Rahne. He quickly put out his cigarette into the standing ashtray on the balcony. "Remy, Rahne will be staying in here tonight." Elizabeth told him.

            Remy walked into the room, "Alright, petite. I'm takin' over for security watch tonight anyway."

            Rahne crawled into the queen sized bed in the middle of the room, and lied her head onto the fluffy pillow. Elizabeth looked at Remy with question, "Hank is doing his massive research; he says it's an all-nighter. So I volunteered to take up the job." Remy answered her silent question.

            "Alright," Elizabeth sat onto the bed, next to Rahne.

            Rahne lied her head onto Elizabeth's lap, quickly falling asleep. Elizabeth sat against the head board, leaning her head back in near exhaustion. Remy sat on the other side of Rahne, and looked down at her, as Elizabeth lightly pet Rahne's face for comfort. A sleepy smile came over Rahne's lips, "She alright?" Remy whispered to Elizabeth, careful not to wake the young girl.

            Elizabeth looked up at him, as she continued to stroke her hand on the young girl's face. She solemnly shook her head at Remy's question, "They tried to _kill_ her, luv." She whispered.

            Remy shook his head slowly at the answer. His empathy could pick up the fear from Rahne, "Well, luv, you'd better take up to your duties." Elizabeth whispered.

            Remy nodded, and carefully leaned towards Elizabeth, careful not to disturb Rahne's sleep, and the couple kissed each other's lips goodbye. Remy took another glance at Rahne, and stood, walking out of the room. After the door closed, Elizabeth looked down at the young sleeping girl, and sighed heavily, "Don't worry, luv. I'll take care of you." She whispered.


	4. IV

            **_Sewers, New York City_**

****

            _More reports to come on the family murders in Scotland, after this;_ the news reporter's voice could be heard echoed throughout the sewer holes of the underground in New York City.

            Michael sat in front of the television, attentively watching the news report on the beat up television in front of him. Other Lycans sat or stood around him, watching as well; they all were in their human form. All men. Michael leaned forward leaning his chin onto his hands, sighing worriedly, "Any word from those in Scotland yet?" He spoke up.

            "None. We fear that they've been killed. Last we heard, they found the girl, but she had been also found by the Vampires." Another answered him.

            Michael shook his head, as he stood up, facing the others of his species, "I don't think she's been taken by them; they would have attacked us already. They wouldn't hesitate on killing the poor girl. We have to give her the proper protection." He crossed his arms over his chest; "Find her. Search all around Scotland if you must. I really do believe she's still alive. Remember, if that girl dies, we have no hope." Michael reminded them.

            The others nodded intently, and left, to plan on how to go about finding the young Lycan girl.

*~*~*~*

            Hank and Kitty worked vigorously through the night, searching through the records for known cult killings, sightings, _anything_. Kitty drank out of her coffee cup, as she looked up at the large screen in front of her, "Anything?" Charles asked from behind them.

            "Nothing yet. There's been no murders reported that have been linked to any kind of cults around the Scotland area." Hank sighed heavily with slight frustration.

            Kitty turned to face Charles, "There's nothing on it! It's like, this is the _first_ time this has happened!" Kitty told him.

            Charles rested his chin onto his hands, thinking if Rogue _could_ have been right. He thought to give it a long-shot, "Why not check up on any reports or findings of a specific werewolf species? There could be more like Rahne out there." 

            Hank turned to look at him, "You can't be serious, Charles?"

            Charles shrugged, "Until Rahne is ready to allow me to delve into her memories of her night, we have no other choice."

            "Alright." The two researching mutants agreed finally.

*~*~*~*

            Remy leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, as he threw his crossed legs up onto the panel in front of him. The monitors in front of him had shown nothing interesting; just flashing to different areas throughout the mansion grounds. Suddenly, as one of the many screens flashed to the gates of the mansion, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing at the gates. He quickly sat up, and paused the screen flash, to remain on the gates. He squinted, looking closely, as he saw a flash, from what looked to be a camera. "No one from the news," He mumbled.

            His red pupils focused more on the figure, as he typed into the keyboard in front of him, for the camera's lens to zoom in on the figure. It did as it was commanded to do, showing a clear picture of the face; pale, with shoulder length black hair, with a camera on its eyes, taking pictures of the mansions grounds. He heard the doors to the security room open behind him, and turned, to see Charles wheeling into the room. "Prof, stay here and cover for me; there's a visitor at the gates." Remy smirked, as he quickly stood.

            Charles frowned, and was about to stop him, but Remy had already rushed out of the room. Charles then turned to look at the screen in front of him, to study the face that was zoomed in by the camera lens.

*~*~*~*

            Remy exited the gazebo, from the secret passageway elevator from the lower levels. He rushed towards the gates quietly, while digging into his trench coat, pulling out his deck of cards, ready for anything. He backed against the stonewall, creeping towards the gates, while charging two cards from the deck in his hand, ready to throw. He could hear the constant clicking of the camera at the gates. A smile played his lips, as he jumped in front of the gates, crouching, ready to pounce, "Can I help you?" He snapped.

            The figure only pulled the camera away from its eyes, and glared at Remy. He placed the camera into his black leather trench coat pocket, and wrapped his hands around the black metal posts of the gates, "Nah ah, wouldn't do that if I were you." Remy warned him.

            Remy held up the cards, as they glowed from the energy he charged them with. "Stay back, mon ami; you gonna get hurt!" Remy growled.

            The mysterious man ignored the warnings, and in a fluid movement that surprised even Remy, he leapt over the tall gates, and crouched in front of him. Remy tsked at the man's actions. He threw the cards forward, causing the loud explosion, and the mysterious man flew back from the impact of the blast. Remy reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out his metal staff, letting it extend to its full length. His eyes searched around, trying to find the mysterious intruder. Suddenly, he flew forward, onto the ground, as the man jumped onto his back.

*~*~*~*

            Elizabeth's eyes shot open from the short-lived sleep, as she heard the explosion from outside. "Remy." She gasped.

            She looked down, noticing Rahne still passed out, her head on her lap. She quietly and carefully moved away, and rushed to the balcony window. She saw Remy on the ground, fighting off an intruder. She looked down, to see Logan rushing out towards the fight. She climbed onto the balcony post, and leapt down onto the ground below, crouching to break her fall. She ran out towards the scene. Logan beat her to the fight.

*~*~*~*

            Logan speared the attacker off of Remy, sliding forward on the ground. "This is the _last_ time I come save your butt, _Gumbo_!" Logan growled, as he wrestled the attacker to the ground.

            Logan glared down at the attacker he had on the ground. His hand was wrapped around his throat, and he noticed a slight trickle of blood coming from his mouth. "What the?" Logan gasped.

            The man smiled at him, exposing two fangs in his mouth. "Remy!" Elizabeth screamed, as she knelt at her lover's side.

            Logan held the man pinned to the ground, struggling to keep the man from biting his arm. The other X-Men had made their way to the scene, after being awoken from an alarm from Charles.

            Logan flew back, as he was kicked off the intruder. The man rushed for Logan, but flew back into the wall, by Scott's optic blast. Hank rushed to Remy's side, and tilted his head to the side, as he noticed a puncture in Remy's neck. "He _bit_ him!" Elizabeth gasped.

            Hank hurriedly helped Remy to his feet, and rushed him back to the mansion to take him to the infirmary. Logan growled, and rushed towards the intruder. His claws were out, ready to kill. But, the intruder surprised them all, by quickly leaping over the wall to the other side, as Logan attempted to stab the man. His claws shoved into the wall, barely missing him. Out of frustration, he ripped the claws out of the wall, retracting them back into his hands. "What the _hell_ was that about?" Rogue finally spoke up in shock.

            Elizabeth glared at her best friend, who went to stand at her side, "Remy was _bit_ by that man!" 

            Elizabeth looked up at her room balcony, and saw Rahne glaring at them from the balcony, as she was awoken from the alarm. Logan made his way to the two girls, snarling and growling with frustration over the fight. Rogue worriedly checked his arms, for any puncture wounds, "Are you alright?" She asked her longtime love.

            Logan nodded, pushing her hands away from his arms, "Fine."

            Elizabeth turned, and rushed back towards the mansion. "He got away!" Scott snapped, as he walked towards Logan and Rogue.

            Logan glared at him, "That wasn't _my_ fault! _You_ butted in!" 

            Scott's mouth dropped, "I was trying to stop him from getting at you _too_, Logan!"

            Logan pushed past him, stalking towards the mansion, "I can _take_ care of myself!" 

            Rogue shrugged at Scott, as he glanced at her. "Come on, let's see if Remy's okay." Rogue solemnly told them all.

*~*~*~*

            Hank immediately treated Remy. He had a large puncture wound in the side of his neck. Elizabeth rubbed her unconscious lover's forehead, as Hank immediately began stitching the wound, "Thank goodness it didn't hit any major arteries, so he's not losing a lot of blood." Hank told her.

            "Will he be okay, though?" Elizabeth asked.

            Hank looked up at her, and nodded, "Yes. He'll be out for the remainder of the night." He sighed, as he concentrated on his work, "Why in the _world_ would someone _bite_ him?"

            Elizabeth turned, looking at the infirmary doors, as they opened, with Charles and Ororo entering the room. "Professor, that was like the others in Scotland that were after Rahne." Elizabeth told him.

            Charles ran his hands down his face, with a loud sigh, "I'm sorry, but I will need to see Rahne. We need to get the pictures of those men that attacked her in her mind, so I may have cerebro try and identify them." 

            "But, Professor, I thought Cerebro could only identify mutants?" Elizabeth asked.

            "We can see if Cerebro can identify if there is an X-Gene in those men. If not, then Hank and I may scan for other records of identity." Charles answered.

            Elizabeth sighed heavily, "I'll talk to Rahne and see if she is well enough to come down." 

            Elizabeth glanced at Remy, as Hank moved the stand for the IV to the bedside. "He'll be fine, Elizabeth." Hank reassured her.

            Elizabeth nodded hesitantly, and turned, walking out of the room. She stopped, as she ran into Rogue, "Is he okay?" Rogue asked.

            Elizabeth sighed, looking towards the infirmary, "He's going to be out for the night. Thank goodness no major arteries were punctured. So he isn't suffering from loss of blood or anything," Elizabeth looked at her friend, "I'm scared those men now know where Rahne is located; they might come after her again."

            Rogue placed her hand onto her friend's arm, giving it a comforting squeeze, "Don't worry hun. She's protected by us, right?" She smiled.

            Elizabeth nodded, "I have to go talk with Rahne. The Professor really wants to talk with her about what happened."

            Rogue nodded in understanding, "Okay."

            She watched Elizabeth leave the hallway, making her way to the elevator to the upper levels. She looked into the infirmary, through the plated glass, as she stood next to Logan, who glared into the room. "You alright hun?" She asked him.

            Logan nodded, and wrapped his arm around her, "Hope nothin's wrong with the Cajun, though."

            Rogue looked up at him, as he continued, "That guy had _fangs_ in his mouth, darlin'."

            Rogue's eyes widened slightly, as she looked back into the infirmary. She remembered of the novels she had read. Those of Vampires; what if they were _real_? What _if_ Remy had been bitten, and he could possibly turn into one? If they were, why would they want to capture _Rahne_? "Well, let's just hope the Prof can find some answers for us." She finally spoke up.


	5. V

            Rahne paced the floor, nervously, at what she had just seen. She had witnessed the whole thing; from the time Elizabeth had jumped down from the balcony, until they had all come back to the mansion. She stopped in her tracks, as she saw the door open. Elizabeth looked in, and smiled warmly, as she stepped into the room. "I'm sorry…", Rahne's voice trailed away.

            Elizabeth frowned, as she stepped into the room, "For what, luv?"

            Rahne gasped, "Well, for what happened down there. I know that it had to do with me."

            Elizabeth walked to the young girl, and grabbed onto her arm lightly, gesturing for her to sit onto the bed. Rahne sat on the edge of the bed, and Elizabeth knelt in front of her, looking up at her, "Rahne, I'm pretty sure that had _nothing_ to do with you," Elizabeth began. She placed her hand on Rahne's knee gently, as Rahne attempted to protest, "But I'm pretty sure that if it _did_, we'll find out why."

            The young girl sighed heavily, "Is Remy gonna be okay?"

            Elizabeth nodded, "He'll be fine. He just had a bit of a quarrel with the intruder." She pulled her hand away, and folded her hands in her lap, "Rahne, I'm going to need you to do something for me."

            Rahne nervously looked up at her friend. Elizabeth was hesitant to ask her the request of Charles so early; she didn't know if Rahne was ready to reminisce about such a traumatizing event. Elizabeth gulped, "Anythin'." Rahne answered finally.

            Elizabeth tilted her head; "The Professor would like to delve into your memories about that night at your home. He wants to see if he can get the identities of those men who attacked you and your family. Just so we can put a stop to this once and for all." 

            Rahne sat back away from Elizabeth slightly, "But, I don't think I can think about that just yet," She nervously told the older mutant.

            Elizabeth sighed heavily, and then smirked slightly at her, "I'll make it up to you. Tomorrow, first thing, you, Rogue and I will head to Fifth Avenue, and you can have _anything_ you want." Elizabeth smiled.

             Rahne's eyes moved up to look at Elizabeth, as she raised an eyebrow slightly, "_Anythin'_?"

            Elizabeth nodded, "Anything." She repeated, "Please, luv, I've got so much bloody money, I don't know what to do with myself sometimes." She smiled.

            Rahne nodded, "Alright. Deal."

*~*~*~*

            Kraven smiled, as he read the email off of his black laptop screen. His hands rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I think we've found her." He commented.

            Erika, another of Kraven's women _servants_, stood at his side, looking onto the laptop screen, "How do you know?"

            Kraven tapped onto the screen as he stood up, "I received an email from one of those in Amelia's clan in America. After I told him of the mortals with _special powers_, he pointed out this place in Bayville. He apparently ran into one of those special powered mortals." Kraven smiled, as he turned and walked out of the room.

            Erika sat in the seat he had left, and stared at the screen. She turned, looking around to make sure she was alone, and scrolled the email down some, and saw numerous pictures of a mansion, and the property it sat on. She curiously squinted, leaning forward more, to read the name off of the plaque in the picture, "Xaiver's Institute for Gifted Youngsters," She read aloud.

*~*~*~*

            Rahne sat in the chair inside of Cerebro's large room, in front of Charles. His hands were on her temples, his eyes closed, as he concentrated on probing her memories. Cerebro's helmet was atop Charles' baldhead, transferring any images of her attackers into its database. She nervously gulped, with tears welling in her eyes, as she was forced to remember her traumatizing night.

            After a few more moments, Charles opened his eyes, and pulled away. "Thank you, Rahne." He smiled warmly. He then turned back to Cerebro, and began to type into its database, "Let's see if Cerebro can hopefully identify those men."

            Rahne turned her head, looking up at the large screen in front of her.

*~*~*~*

            "Unbelievable." Hank mumbled, as he leaned forward towards the screen in front of him.

            Kitty turned, to see what he had been looking at. "What?"

            "I've decided to check into the unsolved files of the CIA." Hank and Kitty turned to each other, smirking at his skills with the computer, and at _whose_ database he had hacked into. Hank then turned back to look at the screen, "Apparently, there has been reports of murders near the Manhattan area." Hank told her.

            "So? What makes these murder files different from the ones we saw in the Police database?" Kitty asked.

            Hank's eyes scanned through the words in front of him, "Puncture wounds on all major arteries of these victims. Apparently, they've been bled dry. But, DNA from the tears indicate that not only the victim's DNA is found, but another. As if they've been bitten into." Hank told the young girl next to him.

            "What?!" Kitty gasped, as she scooted her chair forward.

            "There were also signs of bruising around the wounds, as if they've been literally sucked dry with suction." Hank added.

            Kitty looked at him, raising an eyebrow with a slight smirk, "So in other words, a hickey gone bad?"

            Hank shook his head with a smile at the young girl's analysis, "Vampires it seems. That's what the CIA rules it under."

            Kitty scoffed, sitting back against her chair, "Vampires? Please!"

            Hank held up his finger, "There's more."

            Kitty rolled her eyes, "They're _dead_. There _can't_ be more."

            Hank shook his head, "Some of these cases have gone under the unsolved files of the FBI. Apparently, after autopsies are performed on some of these victims, those bodies have disappeared from the morgue a good three days later." Hank then looked at Kitty for another comment.

            Kitty's face washed over with a look of disbelief, as she stood up, to look at the screen in front of Hank. Her eyes began scanning through the words. She then stood upright, and looked at Hank, "I think Rogue was right." Hank finished.

            Kitty crossed her arms over her chest, "So, what about that guy that bit Remy and was on the Institute grounds?"

            Hank rubbed his chin, and shot out of his seat, "I'm going to check on Remy." He then turned as he walked out of the room, looking at Kitty, "Tell the Professor about this."

            Kitty nodded, and began printing out the information that Hank had found.

*~*~*~*

            Charles and Rahne both stared up at the screen, as it blinked, _No X Gene Found_. "Well, the only thing left," Charles began typing into the keyboard in front of him, "Is to check other methods of identification." 

            They turned, as they heard the doors open. "Professor, Hank's found something." Kitty announced, as she walked towards them.

            Charles and Rahne turned their attention towards Kitty, as she handed him pieces of paper fresh from the printer. Kitty crossed her arms across her chest, "Hank had delved into the CIA database. Apparently, there have been reports of _vampirism_ around the Manhattan area. With some of the bodies that had been affected disappearing from the morgue." 

            Before anything else could be said, they turned their attention towards Cerebro, as it let off a beeping noise, indicating it had found a record. The first man it identified, was the man inside of the pub, in Scotland. "Kraven Welshire; Date of birth, November twelfth," Charles read aloud, "_Eighteen forty seven_?!" Charles gasped.

            "Wow, he's a _little_ old, isn't he?" Kitty smirked.

            Charles then glanced at the papers he had received from Kitty, "I believe we're up against something _far_ than what we can imagine." Charles gulped nervously.

            Rahne shivered at his analysis. "What about those men I saw turning into what I am, Professor?" She asked.

            Kitty and Charles looked up at her, "What men?"


	6. VI

            Remy's forehead had been drenched with sweat. Hank looked over a monitor near Remy's bedside, concerned, "Elizabeth, hand me that syringe there." He instructed the purple haired mutant.

            Elizabeth turned to the tray, and grabbed the unopened syringe. She handed it to Hank, "He'll be alright, won't he?" She asked, her voice shaking with fear.

            Hank looked up at her, as he filled the syringe with a chemical, "This will help with the fever he's having. It'll also help his white blood cells with fighting the infection. However, I am going to need to draw blood from him, to take a better look at this." He told her, unable to answer her question directly.

            Elizabeth frowned, as she saw Hank insert the syringe into the IV cord, leading into Remy's wrist. She lightly touched the gauze that covered up the newly stitched wound on the side of his neck. She lightly rubbed his forehead, and planted a gentle kiss to the drenched area. She turned, and grabbed the damp towel from the pan on the table at the bedside. She placed it to his forehead, wiping away the sweat that poured from the pours of his face. Rogue walked into the infirmary, "I kinda had a feelin' that's what it was." She lowly stated.

            Elizabeth closed her eyes, and turned to look at her friend, "It's only an assumption, luv! We can't jump to conclusions like this!" She gasped.

            Rogue placed her hand onto Elizabeth's arm gently, "Betts, I know that it's hard to accept the complete unnatural, but with _mutants_ even existing, you have to be open minded when something like this comes up. We've run into some pretty crazy things during our times as X-Men." Rogue pointed out.

            Elizabeth shook her head, "I can't believe that just yet." She turned her head, looking at her unconscious lover in the bed, "Right now, I'm thinking they're nothing but bloody punks looking for trouble!" She growled.

            Hank looked up at Elizabeth, as he gauzed Remy's arm, from drawing blood. "Elizabeth, remember. Be prepared for the worst." He added.

            Rogue wrapped her arms around her best friend, hugging her tightly, "He'll be fine, hun. Don't worry."

            Elizabeth placed her hand over Rogue's arms, as Rogue hugged onto her from behind, "I hope so, luv."

            They glared at the EKG monitor at Remy's bedside, as Hank left the room with the tube of blood, "I'll be back ladies." He told them.

*~*~*~*

            Kitty's mouth dropped, as she stared at Cerebro's monitor; her, Charles, and Rahne stared at the clip from Rahne's memories, watching the man morphing into a beast. "A _werewolf_ species." Charles gasped.

            "They dinna hurt me though. He said he was there to help." Rahne spoke up.

            "That is just plain _freaky_!" Kitty said.

            "However, this beast doesn't resemble Rahne's morphed state _completely_." Charles told them.

            "Yeah, he has a much longer snout, and his body is more of a hunched over body; as if he stopped right at turning towards a full blown _wolf_. He's not standing up straight." Kitty added.

            Rahne shook her head, closing her eyes, "May I go now?" She asked hesitantly.

            Charles glanced at her, "I'm so sorry, Rahne. Yes, dear, you may go now. Thank you. We'll get to the bottom of this." He told her.

            "Thank you, Professor." She lightly smiled, as she left.

            Kitty and Charles watched the young girl leave the room, and then turned to look at each other, "Professor, what do they _want_ with her?" She asked.

            Charles shrugged, "I don't know. But until we find out for sure, we must make sure we _never_ let Rahne out of our sight." 

*~*~*~*

            Elizabeth sat in the chair at Remy's bedside, holding onto his hand, while staring up at him. Rogue sat onto the counter, dangling her legs over the side, while watching the EKG monitor beep rhythmically. They didn't bother looking up as the doors to the infirmary opened, as Rahne walked into the room. She hesitantly walked to stand behind Elizabeth, and wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging onto her. Elizabeth smiled, patting onto her arm, "Would you still like to go, luv?" Elizabeth asked.

            "Only if you'd like to. If you'd rather stay here and see if Remy will be alright, I dinna mind that." Rahne lowly told her.

            Rogue looked up at the young girl, and slightly smiled, "I think going out and getting outside will do us some good." She spoke up.

            Elizabeth hesitantly nodded, "Yes. Remy will be alright." She sighed.

            Rogue planted her feet to the ground, and Elizabeth glanced at Remy one last time, before turning away to follow Rahne and Rogue out of the room.

*~*~*~*

            Hank placed the glass plate under his microscope, and took his black-rimmed glasses off of his face, and peered into the lens. Focusing, he grunted at what he was looking at. "Odd." He mumbled to himself.

            He continued to stare into the scope, for a few moments, and finally sat back, sighing heavily. Charles entered the room, "How are the results?"

            Hank turned, looking at him, "Apparently, the bite leaves a virus that attempts at eating away at the white blood cells. However, Remy's white blood cells are rejecting the virus completely, causing an all out attack on the viral infection. That's why his fever has gone so high. He's recovering." Hank told him.

            Charles placed his chin onto his folded hands thoughtfully, "Do you think it has something to do with the X-Gene being present?"

            Hank shrugged, "To even _analyze_ that, I would need to take blood samples from that of homosapiens."

            Charles nodded, "Well, at least Remy will recover nicely. However, we cannot take the risks of this happening to another of our own." He told Hank.

*~*~*~*

            Rahne, Rogue, and Elizabeth sat on the subway train. It headed towards New York City, so they could fulfill the promise to Rahne, of taking her shopping on Fifth Avenue. Elizabeth's eyes moved around, watching everyone around them closely and suspiciously, under her sunglasses. Rogue and Rahne laughed cheerfully, as they played paper, rock, scissors, to kill the time. 

            Elizabeth's telepathy picked up on a mind reading; a watching mind reading. One that could have possibly considered stalking them. She looked towards the car doors, as they opened. She stared at the two largely built men that walked through. She immediately turned away, avoiding eye contact, but immediately linked her mind into one of their own. They were glaring at Rahne. Elizabeth looked up, noticing the train coming to a stop. "Come." She whispered.

            "But, this isn't the stop." Rogue told her.

            _Those two men are watching her, Rogue_, Elizabeth's voice peered into her dear friend's mind. Rogue immediately got the message, and grabbed onto Rahne's hand, leading her off of the train, followed by Elizabeth. 

            The two men watched the three girls leave, and immediately followed. Elizabeth rushed along with Rahne and Rogue, and turned her head, feeling as if they were being followed; and they were. "What is going on?" Rahne asked.

            "Shh. Rahne, don't turn around." Elizabeth warned.

            "Don't worry, Rahne, just keep your eyes forward, and don't make eye contact with anyone." Rogue added.

            They nearly reached the stairway, but stopped, as four other men, clad in black trench coats, stalked down the steps towards them. Their eyes were plastered onto Rahne. Elizabeth grabbed onto Rogue and Rahne's arms, stopping them, and she pulled them back towards her. "How fast can you run?" Elizabeth asked.

            "Why? What's going on?" Rahne asked, looking up at Elizabeth.

            "Rogue, take her and hide her!" Elizabeth mumbled.

            "Betts…"

            "_Now_!" Elizabeth hissed.

            The men in trench coats, dug into their coats, pulling out guns. Immediately, people screamed, ducking for cover. Elizabeth held out her hand, forming a shield around the three of them, as the guns began to fire. Rogue grabbed onto Rahne, as Elizabeth backed up, keeping the shield around them. Rahne screamed, holding her hands to her ears, as Rogue and Elizabeth ran down the stairway, with the four men following them, continuing to shoot. Rogue turned the corner, hanging onto Rahne, and ducked against the wall, shielding her arms over her. 

            Elizabeth growled, and threw her hand towards the four shooters, using her telekinesis to force them back. They flew out of the subway, up over the steps, and outside into the streets. She then turned, running down the stairs, and huddled next to Rahne and Rogue. They looked up, and saw the two men from the subway train, stride towards them. They knelt in front of them, and Elizabeth's fist ignited with her psionic blade. One of the men held up his hands, "Wait! We're here to help _her_," He pointed to Rahne.

            "Who are you?" Rogue asked, grasping onto Rahne.

            "One of her kind." He told them.

            Suddenly, they gasped, as bullets bounced off of the tiled wall above them. Elizabeth held out her hand again, forming a shield around them all. "I can't hold it off for much longer!" Elizabeth grunted.

            Growls could be heard from the two men, as they began to morph into the vicious werewolves, much to the girls' horror. The subways were already cleared of the frightened spectators, and the girls knew that soon, the police would be there. They backed away, watching the two beasts attack the four men, pouncing on them, tearing at their skin. Rogue immediately covered Rahne's eyes, shielding her from the horror that played in front of them.

            The girls backed into something, and immediately turned, seeing a man with shoulder length light brown hair, and warm blue eyes, staring down at them. "Follow me. I'll take you to safety." He told them.

            Rogue turned her head, glancing at the scene behind her, as the beasts began to feed off of the four victims. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at the mysterious man, but her telepathy sensed the sincerity towards saving them. "Alright." She finally spoke up.

            She turned, looking at Rogue, and grabbed onto Rahne. She could hear Rahne sobbing frantically, and held onto her, carrying her, as the three followed the man into the subway tunnels, towards the darkness of the undergrounds of New York City.  


	7. VII

            Rahne grasped onto Elizabeth tightly, as they all ran down the dark subway tunnel. "What the _hell_ was that about back there?" Rogue gasped, as she ran.

            "I'll explain this later!" The man told them.

            Elizabeth had had enough. She stopped suddenly, "No! You'll explain _now_! There are _grown_ men wanting to kill an _eleven_ year old child!" Elizabeth growled.

            Rogue and the mysterious man stopped running, and turned to face her. Rogue turned and glanced at him, also giving him a look, demanding an explanation. He sighed heavily, watching Elizabeth sit onto the edge of the concrete level, while holding onto the young girl. Elizabeth glanced at Rahne, noticing her trembling furiously, "It's alright, luv. We're safe now." Elizabeth warmly told her.

            Rahne reluctantly pulled away from Elizabeth, and finally opened her eyes for the first time, since Rogue had covered them in the subway, and looked around nervously. "First off, how 'bout you introduce yourself!" Rogue snapped at the man.

            "My name's Michael." He told her.

            "Why are you helping us, Michael?" Elizabeth asked him.

            "What's going on?" Rogue asked.

            Michael walked towards the three young girls, and stood in front of them, "it's a little hard to explain in a nutshell. But, this girl is important for the survival of our species." 

            "Species? What species?" Rogue asked him.

            "Lycans," He paused, noticing the looks of confusion suddenly wash over their faces, "Werewolves."

            "So there _is_ a species." Rogue said aloud.

            "Has been for centuries," He added, "She is the last of the full blooded kind. If she dies, the Vampires will wipe us out. They'll be able to easily do so, without having to use silver nitrate." He slightly explained.

            Rahne and Elizabeth looked at each other, confused, "I don't understand." Elizabeth told him.

            "Her bloodline has been the reason on _why_ we've survived for so long. We can _only_ be killed by using liquid silver nitrate bullets. If she were to die, since she is the last of her bloodline, the gift dies with her." Michael explained.

            Rahne tightened her hold onto Elizabeth, as she stared at the man curiously, "But I'm a mutant…" Rahne softly admitted.

            Michael smiled at the young girl's innocence. "We're not going to follow you to wherever you plan on taking us. We're safer in our own home!" Elizabeth sniped at him.

            Rogue sighed heavily, and looked towards the end of the subway tunnel, to make sure they hadn't been followed. Michael immediately shook his head, and protested, "No. You've been attacked in your home before. She'll be safer with us." He told them.

            "Over my dead body!" Rogue hissed.

            "I just want to go back to the institute." Rahne finally broke in.

            Elizabeth stood, holding onto Rahne, "Thank you, sir, but she's safer around us. We have the proper security she needs."

            Rogue turned, and followed Elizabeth down the small tunnel, towards the next station not too far ahead of them. Michael continued to watch them, and was soon met with the two men from the station prior, obvious that they had finished the killing in the station, "You're just going to let them take her?" One asked.

            Michael shrugged, "We obviously have no other choice. But, we must keep a close eye on them. Today's attack had come too close." He told them.

*~*~*~*

            The mansion gates opened, with Rogue speeding on the grounds, towards the mansion. She had driven Elizabeth's car back from the subway parking garage, with Elizabeth in the passenger seat, and Rahne in the back. The drive was silent; with the day's events heavy on their minds. "We have to tell the Prof about this." Rogue lowly told her best friend.

            Elizabeth grunted, "Yes, I agree," She then turned, giving Rahne a smile of comfort. "Are you alright, luv?" She asked her.

            Rahne looked up at her, and nodded. "Fine."

            The thought of what Michael had explained so vaguely weighed heavily on her mind. She was now deathly paranoid; she was being _hunted_. And by an immortal group of people. But she reassured herself in her mind, that she would be under the right protection of the X-Men. 

            _Maybe the institute isn't the best place for her,_ Rogue's mind projected the thought, knowing Elizabeth would hear her, as they pulled into the parking garage. 

            Elizabeth shook her head, as they each stepped out of the silver BMW, _she's safer here, than anywhere else, Rogue. We just have to be more cautious than usual. _Elizabeth answered her.

            Rogue nodded hesitantly in understanding, and the two watched Rahne solemnly walk up the stairs. They turned, looking towards the elevator, as Logan stalked towards them, "What happened?" He frantically asked them.

            Rogue and Elizabeth looked at each other, realizing that the news had most likely published the event, but with unknown circumstances. "We ran into a quarrel. But we're fine." Elizabeth answered him.

            Before Logan could speak any further, Rogue had placed her hand onto his arm, "We have to discuss something in the planning room. We've found somethin' out that is quite a nice piece of information." Rogue told him.

            "Whatya mean?" Logan asked.

            "Just tell the Professor to have everyone meet in the planning room. I'm going to go check on Rahne," Rogue told him.

            "I'm going to the infirmary and check on Remy." Elizabeth added.

            The two girls split, leaving Logan a slight confused, but he did as he was told. He walked towards Charles' office, and opened the double doors, "Prof, Betts and Rogue are back with Rahne. We need to have a meetin' in the plannin' room. They say they've got somethin' to tell us. I think it has to do with Rahne."


End file.
